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Jan 16, 2012

Tanu rated it:

That kid is not kidding! I really am confused about what I feel for this novel. I should have loved it. But I didn’t. Do I loathe it? No, not really. Ughhhhhhh!!!!

Why I picked up this book : Bruiser is written by Neal Shusterman. Neal Shusterman wrote Unwind. No further motivation was needed. It is as simple as that!

Bruiser also has a very interesting concept. It’s basically a story about Bruiser, the misunderstood, socially inept, troubled hero. He uncle is a More...

3 comments like (6 people liked it)

Aug 15, 2011

Kate rated it:

Some pre review figures for you: 35% of my goodreads friends have read Neal Shusterman's Unwind. Comparatively, that is a pretty high percentage for any book. Now tack on to this knowledge the fact that 89% of those gave the book 4 or more stars. And of that 89% only 15% read Bruiser by the same author. Shame. *sad face* No, I'm speaking just as much too myself as I am to any of you. But my point is it makes me sad that this book has gone unnoticed, especially by those who already like Neal Shus More...

8 comments like (11 people liked it)

Jun 27, 2011

Tatiana rated it:

Brewster (or Bruiser), a 15-year old troubled, withdrawn kid, is in a possession of a special gift/curse - he absorbs physical pain from people he cares about. He can't control this ability, he just takes away the hurts of his friends and family, whenever he is close to them, and experiences it, regardless of if he wants it or not. Bruiser has always tried to not get attached to people, to spare himself unnecessary suffering. His social circle is limited to his abusive uncle and younger brother More...

10 comments like (14 people liked it)

Jan 06, 2011

Andrea! added it

Told from four points of view, BRUISER was quite the twist on reality, even though it was told so well that it didn't even seem like it should be impossible. After Bronte starts dating the Bruiser, she and her twin brother Tennyson find out there really IS a reason Brewster's had stand-offish and weird down perfectly – odd things happen when he cares about people.

Like UNWIND being more than just a futuristic world, BRUISER was more than a story featuring a boy with an infeasible abili More...

6 comments like (6 people liked it)

Feb 01, 2011

Danii added it

I thought this book was really good i would love to read ot again it toook me a while to finish it but i finally did it. I chose this book because i thought it was reallly intresting and just looking at the cover made me wannna read it. Brusier he was very intresting he was very special and every thought he was a bad person but he really wansnt a bad person just didnt wanna get close to anyone or care about them because he will take away there brusies and he didnt want to have more bruises then More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 12, 2011

Isamlq rated it:

A big hulk of a guy… that’s Brewster. The others characters are just as… unique. There are Tennyson and Bronte, so named given their parents’ professions as literature professors. I found all of them, as I said, unique… and their story engaging. Neal Shusterman can do no wrong in my eyes, so, yes, you could say that I am a fan. Unwind got me hooked and I am so glad to have found this.

OK, Enough of the gushing. The plot itself was quite different from the things I had been reading. More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 31, 2012

Reuel rated it:

Who needs happily-ever-after books? A typical YA book tackles mostly on feelings. But what if all the feelings you hated most (pain, sorrow, fear, rejection, etc.) were siphoned all from you and all you have left is the sense of security and happiness? Yup, it feels good at first. That's how Tennyson, Bronte and their parents felt after keeping Brewster(Brew/Bruiser) and Cody in their home from an abusive uncle. But the longer Brew stays in their home, the stranger it gets.

I think it's More...

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Jan 06, 2012

Misty rated it:

Every once and a while you run across an author that strikes a cord in you; strums the strings to your heart… makes your pulse quicken. For me that person is Neal Shusterman. A few months ago I read his novel “Unwind” and was blown away. Shusterman has a way with story telling that goes beyond the lines of unique, to me they are… enlightening. Most novels teach a lesson, (this I have learned in my 20 something odd years of reading,) but very few books teach you how to live. “Bruiser” (in Shu More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 02, 2011

Kawon rated it:

Bruiser, written by Neal Shusterman became a novel which helped me expand my thoughts that were produced by the issues presented in the book, and found myself connecting them with struggles in my own life, therefore making this book very relatable. This book is very effective in means of leaving an impression on it’s reader as it explores many concepts that are not regularly discussed in our society today. This book is told from four different perspectives, yet Shusterman did a great job in ma More...

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Nov 30, 2011

Jessicachen rated it:

This exciting, engaging novel by Neal Shusterman is one that will keep you thinking days after you finish. It’s like frozen yogurt—a sweet, almost cheesy love story with great morals, but without all the sugar that makes it too clichéd. The unique narration from 4 different POVs was especially interesting, and the way the author so skilfully created the authentic voices from a cheery teenage girl to a mischievous grade school boy is astonishing.

To be considered a bruiser means that y More...

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Nov 30, 2011

Charles rated it:

Bruiser by Neal Shusterman

Bruiser is a novel about the boons and pains of love, both emotionally and physically. Brewster “Bruiser” Rawlins has a unique ability, the power to take other’s pain away. For this reason, he remains almost completely solitary until he meets Bronte. She makes him see that life doesn’t have to be so lonely. People try to take advantage of his power, some without even realizing its happening. The whole novel revolves around the balance of care for others, a More...

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Nov 26, 2011

Okay rated it:

Ah those words

POV

Emotions

The Green Mile ft. The Blind Side.
______________________________________________________

Neal uses very interesting words in this book. I almost looked up every chapter title. Also, there were some new words in story I didn't know, I can't say it helped my vocabulary but maybe it's good for English speaking youngsters I guess. Especially Brew/Bruiser's voice seemed kind of poetic. Even though, title suggests that Bruis More...

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Oct 24, 2011

Ms. Steiger rated it:

There are 4 main characters in this story, 16-year-old brother/sister twins, their classmate Brewster Rawlins and his eight-year-old brother who live with their uncle.

Not much is known about Brewster, except that because of his hulking size and quiet manner, everyone calls him Bruiser. Brontë decides that she wants to date Brewster and this sends the hot-headed Tennyson into fits. After confronting Brewster, Tennyson decides to give him a chance although he does want to find out mor More...

0 comments like

Oct 18, 2011

Neal added it

Again – not a book review, but a review of my writing process for BRUISER. The idea of telling a story about an empath who can take on people’s pain had been with me for a while – but it wasn’t until I started toying with the idea of a character who could take on psychological and emotional pain that I got really interested in telling this story. We THINK we want our hurts taken away from us, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that surrendering our emotional pain cripples More...

1 comment like (15 people liked it)

Sep 09, 2011

fennie rated it:

3.5 stars? i had high expectations of the author of unwind and they were partially met. this is nowhere near as amazing as unwind, but it is a decent book with an interesting premise.

the first part of the book kept me reading through the early morning because it was so gripping. there's this mysterious boy who all of a sudden gets thrust into tennyson's life (really, i feel that the most interesting relationship is between tennyson and brewster, not bronte and brewster) and starts to c More...

0 comments like

Sep 03, 2011

Sharon rated it:

Bruiser by Neal Shusterman is a young adult novel appropriate for grades eight and up. The story follows Brewster “Bruiser” Rawlins and his interactions with twins Tennyson and Brontë. Bringing Brewster out of his shell might night really be the best thing for him, or their family. Brewster is a large sixteen-year-old loner, who can heal both physical and psychic hurts. Brontë, befriends the shy Brewster, her twin Tennyson is worried about her spending time with the boy once voted ""Mo More...

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Aug 17, 2011

bjneary rated it:

I love Neal Shusterman and his writing---no matter what he puts into words, he creates a very believable scenario. Bronte is a twin and her brother, Tennyson, is horrified when he finds out his sister is seeing Bruiser Rawlins, creepy guy, most liking to kill someone, need I say more? But what happens in this story is supernatural but it is so believable because Shusterman weaves a believable story about the pain of daily life; including divorce, dating, family, popularity, and acceptance. Sh More...

0 comments like

Aug 01, 2011

kari rated it:

If I could give this one more than five stars I would and you should know that I give five stars only rarely. I loved this book, the story, the writing, the actual way in whic it's told. Nothing I would change.
There are four points of view telling the story, from eight-year-old Cody to the three teenagers, Brontë, Tennyson and Brewster. What is great about those viewpoints is that each voice is distinct and clear. And they all push the story along; you aren't getting each one's take on the More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 24, 2011

Dana added it

From my blog, www.danadoesread.com

Hang on a second while I gush and squeal about how amazing this book was.... Okay composed now. lol. I'm banging my head on a wall because I checked this book out 3 times before I actually read it. Three times! how could I have doubts on a book written by Neal Shusterman? I honestly don't know, It wasn't until after Everlost when I was craving more did I actually go read it. I was waiting for my dad, who was working in the library, picked it up and r More...

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Jul 18, 2011

Sarah rated it:

Everyone at school knows of Brewster "Bruiser" Rawlins, the boy voted "Most Likely to get the Death Penalty," but until bleeding-heart Bronte Stenberger decides there must be more to him than meets the eye and begins a campaign to draw him out of his isolated life, no one has really known him...

As Bronte and her twin brother Tennyson find their lives entwining with Brewster's, they quickly discover why Brewster usually avoids relationships with others. When he car More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 12, 2011

Sara rated it:

I was excited for this book. It’s such an interesting idea…watching someone who could take all pain away from another become intertwined with other people for the first time in his adult life. This is bound to end badly right?…you have to love a book where you can see the train wreck coming from a mile away. The family Brewster becomes involved in has it’s crisis…however they’re all pretty standard: divorce, teenage relationship dramatics, general stress. It appears as though Brewster’s life wit More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 11, 2011

Fiona rated it:

Neal Shusterman, author of “Bruiser”, writes an amazing story following the lives of 3 teens. The book is like a strange fantasy, yet also a realistic fiction, as if both genres were tied together to be one. Brewster (Bruiser) Rawlins is a silent boy. Being voted most likely to get the death sentence of his school, Brew is subject to bullying. Brontë and Tennyson, twins of 2 literature professors in a failing marriage, try to live normally. The story of trust, friendship and betrayal truly start More...

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May 10, 2011

Elizabeth rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

May 10, 2011

Sahil rated it:

After reading Bruiser, I had to go back a couple times to get a firm understanding of the ideas. Overall it was an intriguing but at times frustrating book due to the change in narration. The book begins off with a 16 year-old Tennyson who is a narcissistic bully. Tennyson’s twin sister Bronte reveals his over-protective and very obnoxious side as she begins to date the school outcast Brewster “Bruiser” Rawlins.
Throughout this book I saw growth in many of the characters but mos More...

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Apr 28, 2011

Brandy rated it:

Review originally posted here.

Bruiser is the story of four individuals, two sets of siblings, and how their lives become permanently intertwined by the knowledge of a strange and mysterious secret. Tennyson and Bronte are twins, children of literature professor parents whose marriage is in crisis. When Bronte decides to date Brewster "Bruiser" Rawlins, Tennyson is not happy about it. He is used to his sister taking in strays but the kid voted "Most Likely to Get the De More...

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Apr 24, 2011

Nanci rated it:

Wow! I just finished this book and I really loved it. It is also one of the Beehive Book Award nominees and I think this one might get my vote. There were pages where I was just laughing out loud and pages where my heart cried out. I don't know how much I can give without giving too much away. The story is written in 4 different voices. The main two, Tennyson and Bronte who are twins (Their parents are both English professors) and they are trying to deal with parents on the verge of divorce More...

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Feb 14, 2011

Ms.Pannell rated it:

Neal Shusterman never fails to amaze me with a new idea for a book. I really would like for this book to be a 4.5 stars but I really can't figure out how to make that happen. Neal Shusterman presents a gentle giant, Brewster Rawlins, to the reader. But we soon find out that he has an exceptional power. He is a man of few words but many talents. He can memorize anything because of his photographic memory and he take the pain. He lives with his mean drunk of an uncle, Hoyt, and his little brot More...

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Feb 13, 2011

Karen rated it:

What a story! Brewster (Bruiser) is a hulking loner who lives with his little brother Cody and their nasty, abusive Uncle Hoyt. Brewster was unofficially voted "Most Likely to Get the Death Penalty" at the end of 8th grade, and nothing much has changed in high school, at least until Bronte decides to date him. Her twin brother Tennyson is not thrilled by this, until he gets to know Bruiser better -- over the death and disposal of Cody's ancient pet bull. Bruiser has a special abil More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 01, 2011

Jane rated it:

There are a number of thoughts I would like to share about this novel.

First, it was very good. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. The story was interesting, unusual, and quite addictive. I enjoyed the different points of view and the characters themselves were very likable.

However, there were a few things that I didn't like about this book.

It seemed soooo cheesy. For a book with such a unique subject, it seemed like things were almost too easily solved. It was More...

0 comments like

Jan 29, 2011

Michelle rated it:

This is one of those books that’s nearly impossible to write a review of because every excellent aspect is ruined if I divulge any of the plot. Al I can reasonably say to you all is that Bruiser is an experience that must be felt and enjoyed as opposed to be told about. It’s an experience that I wouldn’t want to take away from any potential readers.

So what can I tell you?

I loved the characters in this story. Shusterman created an interesting cadre of participants young and More...

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